


one fine day

by onthighsbelongtotaemin



Category: EXO (Band), SHINee
Genre: Brother-Sister Relationships, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family, Fluff, M/M, Mother-Son Relationship, Pregnancy, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-09-07 22:32:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8818750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onthighsbelongtotaemin/pseuds/onthighsbelongtotaemin
Summary: taeyeon spends the day with her little boy, jonghyun, preparing for dinner with her brother & brother-in-law later that night.





	1. one fine day

taeyeon sits at the table sipping her tea, one hand absently massaging her swollen belly. she’s still in her soft yellow robe & matching slipper, hair in a messy bun atop her head as she enjoys the quiet. minho had left fifteen minutes ago, the mess of the breakfast she cooked him still strewn across the stove & in the sink. he had grabbed his briefcase, his suit jacket slung over his arm, a quick kiss to her forehead as he made his way to the door. suddenly he stopped, dropping everything over the back of his recliner, the one with the best view of the television, walking back over to her where he wrapped his arms around her body as best he could & gave her a kiss that had her still smiling fifteen minutes later. he had been like this lately, a little more touchy, a little more tender, and it was nice to feel wanted at this point in her pregnancy. a sudden kick from inside, and a thump from down the hall, lets her know that jonghyun is finally up. 

somehow the baby, a girl they’d decided to name gwiboon, always knew when her brother woke up in the morning and promptly let their mother know as well. glancing at the mess in the kitchen, taeyeon sighs & resigns herself to the reality that she will have to either try to clean it up with her son, a complicated though not impossible task with a four-year-old, or wait until his afternoon nap to get to it. either way, with jinki & jongin coming over for dinner it will have to be attended to. she drinks the last of her tea and adds her cup to the mess of dishes. yawning she makes her way down the hall to jonghyun’s room, the door already slightly ajar as the boy needed a bit of light to fall asleep. she finds him on the floor with his stuffed puppy, roo, playing with some plastic dinosaurs minho had bought him a few weeks back. a “just because” gift for jonghyun for being a helper to his mom and because it was just how minho was; thoughtful.

she leans against the door frame, her arms folded over her belly as she watches her son make “rawr” noises and dance the dinosaurs across the carpet. he had been adamant that the dinosaurs were all friends and just wanted to play: there was no fighting in his pre-historic jungle, just a lot of song and dance and story-telling. 

“hey baby,” she says, “i see you and roo are finally up this morning.” 

“mama!” he cries, grabbing his stuffed puppy and jumping up to give her a hug. it is awkward at this point because her protruding tummy is just where his head is and he always ends up tilted back when he hugs her. 

“did you and roo sleep well last night?” jonghyun is getting over a cold, lots of grape-flavored medicine, fever checks, and sleep, which is why he is only now getting out of bed. usually he was up to see minho off to work but this morning his parents had left him to rest. 

“yes and roo and I dreamt that we went to the park and there were dinosaurs and they were riding on the swings and sliding and the tyrannosaurus rex was hanging from the monkey bars but she couldn’t get across so she had a triceratops come help and he put her on his back, just like daddy does for me, and then she was able to get across the monkey bars and she was so happy and I got to ride on the triceratops too. his name was onew.” he smiles up at her and she feels that soft ache in her heart, the one that comes along every time she realizes that this precious little person is hers. 

“that sounds like a great dream. if you’re feeling better, maybe we could go to the park later today, after we clean up the house a bit. do you remember who’s coming over today?” jonghyun’s face lights up. 

“uncle jongin& uncle jinki!” he cries. 

“that’s right. first, let’s get you some breakfast and then we’ll clean up and go to the park.” 

“yay!” he cried, dashing off down to the kitchen.

taeyeon follows behind, stifling another yawn. this pregnancy is taking a lot of her energy and it is getting harder and harder to keep up with her son. she finds him in the kitchen, pouring cheerios into his spider-man bowl. she sends him back down the hall to wash his hands and relieve himself (sometimes he gets so excited about things he forgets to go to the bathroom and she doesn’t want him to start his day having an accident), waiting until he comes back to pull out the milk and set it next to him, helping him hold it as he pours it over his cereal. he is pretty good at it but sometimes the carton, especially if it is new, is a little too heavy and he ends up with more milk than cereal and taeyeon wants to avoid adding to the mess that is the kitchen as much as possible. while he munches happily on his breakfast, his puppy on the seat next to his, taeyeon begins gathering up the dishes. she rinses them off, standing sideways to accommodate her belly, running the crumb remnants through the garbage disposal, before loading them into the dishwasher. 

“how are you feeling bud? still icky?” she asks as she places her palm against his forehead. it feels no warmer than usual. 

“i’m all better mama. we can go to the park!” he declares between bites of cereal. 

“well you don’t fell too warm so I think we’ll definitely go to the park today and the market so we can get dinner for when uncle jongin & uncle jinki come over tonight. we just need to get things cleaned up. when you’re done, go put your dinosaurs back in their box.” 

“they like it better on the floor mama. they can’t dance in the box.” taeyeon stifles a chuckle at the same argument she’s heard the entire week he’s had the toys. 

“yes but they can have snuggles while they’re in the box and that way they can get their energy back for more dancing when you take them back out. they need naps too.” jonghyun sighs heavily as he chews his last bite and drinks the last of his milk. he takes his spoon and bowl over to the dishwasher where he adds them to the dishes his mom has already loaded. 

“can i put the soap in please?” he asks, dark brown eyes wide with anticipation. 

“sure bud, but i’m going to help,” she replies, pulling the box of detergent from its perch in one of the higher cupboards. together they pour in the white powder, taeyeon locking the dispenser in place, shutting the door, and then jonghyun, quite happily, pressing “start”.

their morning continues like that, jonghyun putting away his dinosaurs while taeyeon wipes down the counters, him holding the dust pan while she sweeps the floor. they brush their teeth together, taeyeon bringing her toothbrush to jonghyun’s bathroom to keep an eye on him and help him with his brushing; he still has trouble reaching his back teeth. then they separate, taeyeon quickly getting dressed while jonghyun goes to pick out his own clothes and when she comes back she finds him in an old shirt, one with sharks, and new jeans. which would have been fine except the old shirt was much too small and half of his stomach pokes out. her first thought is that it looks like the crop tops her friend eunsook had worn as a cheerleader and she hides her smile behind the back of her hand. 

“sweetie i think that shirt is too small for you.” jonghyun pouts at her words. 

“but it’s a great shirt! i picked it out. if i put it back it’ll hurt its feelings and make it sad and i don’t want to make it sad mama.” 

“well how about this,” she starts, amused by her son’s sentimental attachment to his clothing, “we’ll put it in the pile of clothes we’re saving for the baby and that way it won’t be sad and it’ll still be picked.” jonghyun looks down at the shirt for a few moments before he bursts into a smile, pulling the shirt over his head.

“sounds good mama,” comes his muffled reply, his head and arms tangled in the fabric. soon enough he is out and handing her the shirt, rifling through his dresser and pulling out a black shirt with pirate skulls, one that changes color in the sun (a major selling point for jonghyun. and, if he was honest, minho). taeyeon smiles as she takes the shirt down the hall, tossing it on her bed to deal with later, and closing the door. now that they are fed, dressed, and the house is clean(er), it is time to head out and do some shopping. she doesn’t have anything fancy planned for her brother’s visit; just spaghetti and sauce, a tossed salad, wine, bread, and gelato. however, she’s had a few rough days, just feeling worn out from the pregnancy and taking care of jonghyun through his cold, that she hasn’t done any shopping yet. now that she is feeling a bit better, she wants to get out of the house for the day and get jonghyun, who has been cooped up with her all that time, out as well. the plan is the park, the market, getting home in time for jonghyun’s afternoon nap, making the meal, and then welcoming minho home from work and jongin and jinki for dinner.

she packs some snacks into jonghyun’s rolling backpack before grabbing her shopping list off the refrigerator, slipping it into her purse, and sliding the strap over her shoulder. she goes back down the hall to check on jonghyun’s progress. he is still working on tying knots so at this point his shoes are velcro. still, he has the tendency to mix up his shoes and she wants to make sure they are on the right feet before they leave. he has the shoes on the right feet and a vest over his shirt. it is a little warm for such a garment but he loves the spaceship badge over his chest and wears it frequently. he looks up and smiles, a big toothy grin, scooping up roo as he stands.

“roo and i are ready mama.” 

“all right, let’s go.” jonghyun leads the way as they leave the house, him pulling his backpack behind him and taeyeon making sure that all the lights were off and the door locked behind them. suddenly she stops, checking her purse. 

“just wait here by the door bud, mama i’ll be right back.” she goes back to her room where she finds her phone on the charger, grateful that at least this time it was where it was supposed to be. they make their way out to the car, jonghyun opening the back door of their little sedan, swinging it wide as he climbs up into his booster seat. he struggles with fastening the belt himself, though he always tries, eventually relenting and letting his mom do it for him. she shuts the door and opens her own, climbing awkwardly into the driver’s seat, the wheel a bit too close to her burgeoning stomach. she adjusts it, starts the car, and they are on their way.

it is a short drive to the park, barely ten minutes, and taeyeon turns on a cd of children’s songs that jonghyun loves to listen to, her little boy in the back seat belting along to the lyrics. it always amazes her how in tune he already is and she sometimes wonders if a career in music isn’t in his future. soon they are pulling into the parking lot and climbing out of their respective seats, jonghyun wrestling his way out on his own. still clutching his puppy, he scans the park, trying to decide which toy to play on first. there is a giant slide in the shape of a wagon, a set of swings he is finally big enough to ride, monkey bars he’ll need his mama to help him cross, and a gazebo he likes to climb and pretend was a fortress or a castle. he decides on the swings first, looking up at his mom and asking her to push him. taeyeon stretches out her hand and he takes it, leading her over. they play there a few minutes, taeyeon pushing while jonghyun grips the chains, peals of laughter pouring out from the happy child. roo sits on the grass in front so she can watch (and so that jonghyun can hold the chains with both hands, a point taeyeon is firm on). soon taeyeon grows tired and gently suggests jonghyun try the slide, pointing out that roo can join him on that particular toy. excitedly jonghyun agrees, slipping off the swing once his mother pulls it to a stop and scooping up roo as he runs over to the slide. over and over and over taeyeon watches her son climb the up, roo tucked under his arm, and come sliding back down over the plastic, giggling the entire way. their time at the park continues like that, switching between toys jonghyun can play on by himself and those taeyeon will need to assist him with. half an hour later she decides they will need to stop or she won’t have the energy to do the shopping. 

“jonghyun, come here. let’s take a break and have a snack before we go to the market.” jonghyun comes trotting over, his little legs moving as fast as they can. it’s truly an adorable sight. 

“what did you bring mama? are there cookies?” taeyeon laughs. 

“no sweetie i brought apple slices, peanut butter, and juice boxes.” she lists them off as she pulls them from jonghyun’s rolling bag. jonghyun eats happily, dipping his apple slices into the tub of peanut butter & sipping on his grape juice. 

“did you have fun bud?” he nods, smiling as he chews on his snacks. when they’re done eating they toss their empty boxes away, pack up their empty containers, and soon enough they are strapping back into the car, jonghyun making a valiant effort to buckle his own seatbelt, and heading off towards the market.

for the next ten minutes they listen to the same music that had been playing earlier, jonghyun cheerfully singing along. when they get to the market taeyeon makes sure to find a spot near a cart return having found that it is the easiest way to get all her groceries and her son into the car without having to hassle with an empty cart. on the way in she lets jonghyun climb up the side of the cart return, holding roo so he can use both hands, because it’s low to the group and it makes him happy (thought it still makes her nervous). he climbs back down and takes roo in one hand and his mama’s hand in the other as they head into the store. it’s quiet, just a few older people wandering the aisles as they enter the store and see the selection of carts. she knows exactly which one jonghyun is going to choose. 

“mama! mama!” he cries, pulling at her hand. "can we get the one with the car? please?!“ taeyeon smiles at the pure excitement radiating from her boy’s face. though the cart is a bit bulky and a little hard to handle, she knows that it will keep jonghyun happy and entertained during their shopping so she lets him climb into the plastic red car, holding roo for him while he buckles up, and chuckles as he buckles the stuffed puppy in next to him.

their first stop is the produce section where taeyeon grabs two pre-packaged salads, a tomato, and a package of mushrooms. they then move on to the pasta aisle where taeyeon grabs a large package of angel hair pasta and two jars of sauce, the type with garlic that minho loves so much. then they’re off to the wine section where taeyeon grabs a bottle for the men, followed by a trip to the drinks aisle where she picks out a bottle of sparkling cider for jonghyun and herself. she lets him choose and he settles on the apple peach. there’s a bit of a squabble in the frozen section when jonghyun wants to get ice cream and taeyeon tries to explain that gelato is just like ice cream but jonghyun wants the one with minions on it. it takes a few minutes to get jonghyun to understand that he’s not getting ice cream, not this time, and he pouts through the rest of the aisle, his arms folded tightly across his chest and his lip poking out. taeyeon just rolls her eyes and sighs: it’s not his first fit and it won’t be his last. she’s just glad there are no tears. they continue on to the bakery where jonghyun drops his angry facade in favor of wide-eyed excitement over the display case full of cookies, doughnuts, cakes, and pies. 

"mama! mama! can we get cookies? please?!” 

“no, we’re already getting gelato and you still have graham crackers at home. you can have some with your lunch.” jonghyun goes back to his silent protest and taeyeon finds herself sighing again as she pulls a baguette out of the display case. she turns and rolls the cart to the closest check-out lane when she suddenly remembers the meatballs and does a quick 180, cringing when she realizes this will take them back to the frozen aisle. before jonghyun can say anything she reminds him that they’re not getting ice cream, she’s just getting meatballs for dinner, and would he like a yogurt for being calm and not yelling when he got made? jonghyun ponders this for a moment before a bright smiles breaks out over his face and he happily agrees, apologizing for being mad, making taeyeon’s heart melt a little. they roll over to the display case and jonghyun immediately asks for “the popsicle one” and taeyeon pulls down the an orangecicle-flavored cup from the middle of the of the array of yogurts. taeyeon pulls out her list and scans it quickly to make sure she hasn’t forgotten anything else and once she’s certain she’s gotten everything they head over to the check-out stand. as they pull in jonghyun asks if he can help and she lets him get out, handing him the items that he, on his tip-toes, starts putting on the conveyor belt. the cashier watches with a smile and, when everything has been unloaded and their groceries bagged (taeyeon kicks herself for forgetting her re-usable bags, offers jonghyun a sticker. he takes a sparkly one, thanking the cashier shyly, before sliding back into his plastic car. taeyeon thanks the cashier who asks if she’d like help carrying her groceries out to her car, an offer taeyeon gladly accepts. by the time they leave it’s the middle of the day and it’s a little busy, people on their lunch breaks popping in to buy lunch or run little errands and taeyeon is grateful they were able to finish before the rush. the clerk who helps her out to her car is bubbly and introduces herself as minjung, a history major on the university football team who tells taeyeon that jonghyun is adorable and that pregnancy suits her. she packs their groceries into the trunk of the car as jonghyun climbs out of the cart and taeyeon gets him settled into his booster seat, reminding him that he has to wait until they get home to have his yogurt. with the slam of the trunk lid and a bright smile, minjung waves good-by and taeyeon and jonghyun head back home.

fifteen minutes later, and the completion of jonghyun’s cd, taeyeon pulls into their driveway, a drowsy jonghyun in the back seat, his head resting on his chest, who immediately re-energizes when he realizes they’ve returned home. while he works his way out of his seat belt and off his booster, taeyeon pops the lock for the trunk and hoists herself out of the driver’s seat. she stretches for a moment, one hand bracing her back which now aches a bit: she’s glad the errands are over. she sighs, though, when she realizes that the groceries, which were carried for her out of the market, will now have to be carried in by jonghyun and herself. she shuffles the groceries around, pulling out the bread and handing it to jonghyun once he frees himself and slams the door behind him. 

“here bud,” she says, handing him the loaf & his rolling bag. "take these. 

“i can’t carry all that mama, it’s too much.” taeyeon takes roo from under his arm & tucks her into the top of the rolling bag, leaving a gap for the puppy’s head to poke out. 

“here you go, now you can carry everything.” jonghyun is wary of putting roo in the bag but when taeyeon explains that it will be an adventure for her he accepts it, though hesitantly. with the bread tucked under one arm & his rolling bag trailing behind him, jonghyun is the epitome of adorable and taeyeon smiles at the sight. she grips the handle of one bag as she leads them to the door, her key out and ready. once inside they slip off their shoes and she has jonghyun go to the bathroom while she pulls out the yogurt in her bag. when jonghyun comes back he picks out a spoon and she sits him at the table while she goes out for the second bag of food. finally, once all the groceries are taken inside and put away, she sits with jonghyun at the table, her feet propped up on the seat across, sipping a cup of water.

“did you have fun today bud?” jonghyun smiles and nods, a bit of orange yogurt covering his upper lip. “what do you want for lunch?” she asks, grimacing as soon as the words are out, praying he doesn’t ask for mac n’ cheese. 

“dino sandwiches. the kind with bananas.” 

“peanut butter and bananas?” 

“yes. dino ones.” 

“you got it.” taeyeon breathes a sigh of relief at the simple request. raising herself out of her seat she pulls out the sandwich bread, a jar of peanut butter, and pops a pair of bananas off the bunch hanging over the counter. just as she’s placing the slices of bread onto a plate her phone rings. picking it up she smiles when she sees that it’s minho calling. 

“hey,” she answers, blushing when she hears him respond “hey beautiful. how’s your day going?” 

“it’s good. we just got back from the park and the market and i’m about to make peanut butter and banana dinosaur sandwiches for the boy.” minho chuckles. 

“sounds excellent. i’ll let you get back to that while i have a man to man with my son.” taeyeon laughs out loud, puts the phone on speaker and places it in front of jonghyun. 

“hi daddy!” jonghyun cries enthusiastically, leaning in towards the phone.

“hey bud! how’s your day, i hear you went to the park.” jonghyun nods and taeyeon whispers to him that his daddy can’t hear him. 

“yes, we went to the park and it was a lot of fun and mama pushed me on the swings and roo and i slid down the slide together and then mama gave us snacks and it was apples and juice and peanut butter and then we went to the market and got food for dinner for when uncle jongin and uncle jinki come over and i wanted ice cream but mama got jello-auto and i was mad but i didn’t yell or cry and mama got me yogurt because i didn’t yell or cry. it was popsicle-flavored.” there’s a pause and taeyeon can tell minho is listening to hear whether jonghyun has more to add or not. 

“that’s great buddy,” comes his reply. "i’m proud of you for not yelling or crying. good job.“ jonghyun beams and nods his head again, adding "thanks” when he remembers that his dad can’t hear him. 

“it was great talking to you but now i need to ask mama some questions. love you.” 

“love you too daddy,” jonghyun yells and kisses the phone before taeyeon can pick it up. jonghyun finishes his yogurt while she answers the phone, rinsing off his spoon and putting his yogurt cup in the garbage can. she grimaces, turning off the speaker phone, surreptitiously wiping the screen before putting it to her ear. 

“hey again.” 

“hey. do you need me to pick anything up from the store on the way home tonight?” 

“no we got everything, thanks.” 

“well then i’ll see you tonight. love you.” 

“love you.” she hangs up, placing the phone on the counter. finishing up, she sets the sandwiches down on two plates, adding a couple of pickles to a bowl between them, and watches as jonghyun carefully pours himself a glass of milk. as she eats her sandwich, taeyeon watching as jonghyun has his dinosaur sandwiches have a conversation with roo before he consumes them messily, peanut butter on his fingers and face and soon on the pickle he slips from their shared bowl. she smiles as he munches on it before chugging down his milk, a smile of satisfaction when he finishes. 

“that was yummy mama, thanks.” 

he hops down & takes his plate and cup to the counter next to the sink. he starts to leave but she reminds him that he needs to wash his hands first, especially if he is going to play with roo. she has him do it at the kitchen sink because she’s tired and a touch emotional and wants to enjoy these moments as much as she can. he proudly shows her his hands and pops off his stool once he remembers to turn the water off. she gets up after that, rinsing off their plates and adding them to jonghyun’s spoon in the sink. 

“i’m going to empty the dishwasher bud, wanna help?” 

“yeah!” together they put away the dishes from the dishwasher, jonghyun putting away things that are on the lower shelves and aren’t breakable and aren’t too heavy for him to carry. it’s a point of pride for him that he can put away the pots and pans by himself & all the flatware. together they sweep the crumbs off the table into the garbage can and load the now-empty dishwasher with their lunch plates and cups. 

“ready for a nap, bud?” taeyeon asks, a little too hopefully. jonghyun, who had begun nodding off on the ride home furrows his brows in defiance. 

“i’m not sleepy mama. i was just restin’ my eyes in the car.” taeyeon smiles tiredly. honestly nap time is as much for her as it is for him at this point in her pregnancy. 

“how about this. i’ll read you five books and if you’re still awake you don’t have to take a nap.” this is a trick. jonghyun usually falls asleep when he’s read to, especially during the afternoon. but he loves being read to, he really, really loves books and stories and so he cheerfully agrees and runs down the hall to pick out five books from his ever-growing collection.

taeyeon follows him and settles into her rocker by the window, the natural light filtering through the blinds easier on her eyes than the lamp in the corner. jonghyun has an identical rocker about a third the size of hers, solid wood and one that’s been in minho’s family for at least four generations. when jonghyun pulls back from his little wooden bookcase he has five thin books haphazardly tucked under his arm, ready to spill onto the floor at any minute. taeyeon sighs because of course he’s grabbed the three longest stories in his little library: three dr. seuss, a technical book about dinosaurs and their names and habitats, and a book on spiders. taeyeon grimaces at the last one and when jonghyun hands her the pile of books she quickly slips it to the bottom and curses jongin for gifting this book to her son. she sends him back across the hall to go to the bathroom one last time before she reads him any books. when he returns, jonghyun starts to sit down in his rocker but taeyeon motions him towards the bed instead. he frowns, pulling roo up to his chest, but climbs into bed anyway, stifling a yawn. rocking gently back and forth, taeyeon starts with “cat in the hat”. he’s still awake when she finishes, though barely. halfway through “the lorax” he’s snoring softly and taeyeon adds the book back to the pile, pushing herself up out of the rocker and leans down to kiss jonghyun on his forehead. 

she heads down the hall to her own room, pushing jonghyun’s old shirt aside and settling on the covers, pulling minho’s pillow to her chest and inhaling his lingering scent. it’s such a lovely smell and she falls asleep with a smile on her face. it’s the blaring of her phone from the kitchen that wakes her up, startled and confused. she hurries out to turn it off, worried that the sound would have woken jonghyun up since he’s such a light sleeper. she grabs her phone, silencing the alarm, and checks on her son who, against all odds, is still asleep, his mouth slightly open and his arms gripped tightly around his little stuffed puppy. she sighs, grateful that she remembered to set an alarm even if she’d forgotten that she’d remembered. according to the clock on her phone she’s been asleep for just over an hour which means she has about another thirty minutes before jonghyun wakes up naturally. she takes the time to do a quick clean-up of the main bathroom, amazed at how messy one little boy can be, wiping everything down, switching out the hand towels, and swiffering the floor. she tosses her cloths into the washer and her wipes into the garbage. she moves on to the living room and does a quick dusting. she notices that there are no dishes or toys laying around the room and she knows she didn’t clean up from last night. she smiles and makes a mental note to thank minho when he gets home. 

just as she finishes she feels a strong kick from gwiboon and hears a thump from jonghyun’s room. she heads down the hallway and pushes open the door, finding a similar sight to the one that greeted her that morning.

“hey bud,” she says as she leans against the door frame. 

“hi mama,” jonghyun murmurs back from his spot on the floor, his hair sticking out and his eyes blinking sleepily. 

“do you need to go potty?” he nods with his eyes closed, still not quite awake. she leads him to the bathroom and makes him keep his eyes open long enough to pee without making a mess. then they head back to his room where she asks if he wants to go back to sleep to which he shakes his head no as he climbs back into bed. she brushes his hair back from his face as his breath evens out and he slowly falls back asleep. she chuckles as she leaves, letting the door rest open a bit.

out in the hallway she pauses, not sure what to do. with jonghyun back asleep she has a bit of free time on her hands, especially now that the minor tidying up is finished. she decides to take the opportunity to have another cup of tea and look over the sheet music she’d bought last week. she doesn’t practice it on the piano though, she doesn’t really have the time and she’d like to let jonghyun sleep a bit more. so she sets the kettle on and reads through the notes, trying to visualize the keys and how her fingers should be arranged. just before the kettle begins whistling she pulls it off, turning the heat down, and pours it into a mug that she adds a tea bag to. setting the kettle back on the cooling burner, she carries her cup over to the table to continue mentally working on the piece. a few minutes later, just as she’s finishing her cup, she feels gwiboon’s feet kick and knows it’s time to check on jonghyun again. this time she finds him with bright eyes and a smile on his face. 

“hi mama!” he cries from his spot on the floor, the box of dinosaurs spilled out in front of him. 

“hey bud,” she smiles from the door frame, “did you have good dreams?” he scrunches his face up in thought and she stifles a chuckle at his seriousness. 

“it was an ok dream. i don’t remember a lot of it so it must not have been very interesting.” 

“ah. daddy’s going to be home soon. i’m going to go start dinner and vacuum the living room…” jonghyun jumps up, his eyes wide with excitement as he interjects “may i vacuum too mama? please?” he is practically vibrating, bouncing on his feet and taeyeon can’t help but wonder what she’s done right to earn a son who enjoyed housework. 

“tell you what. you vacuum first and then i’ll vacuum and that way we both get a turn.” 

he purses his lips, watching her thoughtfully. 

“deal,” he says, sticking his hand out for her to shake. once the deal is struck jonghyun runs out of his room, down the hall to the utility closet. he opens the door and lets his mama pull the vacuum cleaner out, following her down to the living room where he waits patiently for her to plug it in. as soon as he can, he turns it on and begins randomly dragging its bristles across the floor, creating designs in the carpet. taeyeon watches from the side, making sure he doesn’t get too close to the table with the lamp. it is an amusing sight. the vacuum is just about as tall as jonghyun and he has the tendency to poke his tongue out from between his lips while he concentrates on his task. he goes at it for quite awhile before he gets tired and asks if she wants a turn. he happily accepts and tells him to sit at the kitchen table while she finishes, where she can keep an eye on him. he has done a rather good, though rather centrally focused, job and it isn’t long before she is unplugging the machine, letting jonghyun wrap up the cord, and putting it back in its cupboard.

just as they finish they hear the sound of a car pulling into their driveway and jonghyun cries “daddy!” as he races towards the door. as he runs outside, taeyeon heads to the stove, setting up a cup of coffee for minho. she hears them through the screen door, shouts of “daddy!” and “hey buddy!”. they come in, jonghyun wrapped around minho’s leg as he rides on his dad’s foot with every step. 

“look at what i found! it’s a dino-jong!” 

“rawr!” comes their son’s wild cry as he bounces on minho’s foot. minho hangs up his coat and slips out of his shoes before making his way to taeyeon. he slips his hands around her waist as much as he can and kisses her gently, reaching up to mess with her hair. 

“hey,” he says softly. 

“hey.” they smile at each other for a moment until another “rawr!” comes up from the vicinity of minho’s right foot. minho winks at taeyeon before bending down and picking jonghyun up, raising him over his shoulder, and tickling him on his sides. jonghyun squeals with laughter as his dad then carries him to the sofa, tickling him some more and blowing raspberries on his tummy. taeyeon watches fondly as the two play, rubbing her belly absently and smiling. after a few minutes minho lets jonghyun go, kissing his head and walking back over to taeyeon who hands him the cup of coffee she has made. he kisses her forehead before taking the mug and sitting at the table. jonghyun wanders over and sits down next to his dad and starts asking him questions about his day. minho’s days fascinate jonhyun who can’t quite fathom doing things so very different from his own world. he’s gone to his dad’s office a few times down at the university, and he’s been to every game his dad’s coached, but it’s all still magical in his eyes. minho answers all his questions, asking a few of his own, and soon they’re too engrossed in their conversation to notice taeyeon at work at the stove behind them.

she fills their largest pot up with water and sets it on the burner at the highest heat. next she fills a pot with sauce, setting it on low before pulling out the frozen meatballs and microwaving them, dumping them in the sauce when they’re done. after that she pulls out the bags of salad and mushrooms and dumps them in a big red bowl, tossing in a pair of wooden salad tongs and shoving the whole thing back in the fridge. once the water starts boiling she pops open the package of pasta she bought earlier and breaks the strands in half before slipping them into the pot. she turns the heat down to medium and sets a timer.

“all right boys, time to move on out. uncle jongin and uncle jinki should be here any minute.” she shoos her husband and son away from the table and they head down the hall so that minho can freshen up and jonghyun can keep asking his questions. she sets the table, stirs the pasta and the sauce, puts the bread in the oven to war, and leans back against the counter, sighing contentedly, thankful that she didn’t forget anything and that everything is going smoothly.

just as her timer dings there’s the sound of a car pulling into the drive. a pair of doors slam and soon there’s the muffled sound of voices coming closer to the screen door and a quick shout of “what’s up loser?” followed by the sound of a hand smacking a skull and another voice saying “don’t talk to the love of my life that way.” jongin rubs his head with a cheeky grin as he steps inside the house followed by jinki who smiles brightly at taeyeon. 

“i’d apologize for my husband but he really just is sorry.” his eyes disappear as he laughs at his own joke and jongin rolls his eyes in the role of the insulted husband. but the way he smiles at jinki lets taeyeon know that he doesn’t actually mean it, that he actually loves his husband’s unique brand of humor. jongin gives her a kiss on the cheek as she sends him down the hall to where his brother-in-law and nephew are. jinki comes up and kissing her forehead and rubbing her belly gently. 

“how are you tae? you look good.” 

“i feel good,” she smiles. "this week was rough, i’ve just been so tired. but today was good, and better now that you’re here! though, did you really have to bring my brother along?“ jinki laughs as she offers him some coffee. she drains the pasta in the sink and then they sit at the table chatting, waiting for the others to join them.

soon enough jonghyun is barreling down the hall to greet his uncle, crying "uncle jinki!” before hugging his leg and climbing into his lap. minho follows, greeting jinki with their standard high-five, jongin right behind them. taeyeon starts to stand, to gather up the food, but is quickly set back down in her chair with a kiss from minho who, with jongin’s help, starts setting the table and bringing out their dinner. it’s a struggle to get jonghyun off of jinki’s lap but the promise of his own seat next to his uncle finally makes him move. he sits proudly atop an old dictionary minho found at a used book store, an ancient tome that is easily four inches thick: the perfect height for jonghyun. he eats greedily, taking bites and asking questions. he’s very excited because he was told that jinki and jongin have a surprise to tell him. the adults make him wait until dinner is over, talking casually over their pasta, salad, and wine, while jonghyun hurries to finish his meal, anxious to hear the news. 

minho asks jinki how work is going and jinki tells him that one of his student shows real promise and he’s going to look into a scholarship for him for university. he and jongin work at the same fine arts school teaching music and dance respectively. they actually met at university, back when jongin and taeyeon were incoming freshman and jinki was a senior. he and taeyeon had a few piano classes together and she was the one to introduce him to her brother. it was a little awkward at first because it was clear to everyone (later she would be mortified to learn just how obvious) that taeyeon had a crush on jinki. and while jinki was bisexual he just didn’t see taeyeon that way, not the way he saw jongin. in the end it was fine, though taeyeon was clearly heart-broken. her period of mourning was cut short when she lost her phone at a university game and a visiting football player with a toothy smile helped her look for it. she and minho have been inseparable ever since. jinki and jongin dated through the last half of jinki’s senior year and for the next three years, beating taeyeon and minho to the altar by six months.

after jinki finishes telling minho about how ready he is for the upcoming summer break, how he loves his students but he’s looking forward to the chance to re-group, jongin chimes in that he’s “also looking forward to the free time.” cryptically adding “as long as it lasts” giving jinki a meaningful stare. taeyeon looks between the two of them with interest. the meal is only half finished but even she’s beginning to break under the desire to know more. she looks at minho who has a similar look of curiosity on his face. then jinki asks minho a question about his team and the mood shifts back. taeyeon takes a sip of her sparkling cider and watches jongin with narrow eyes. she wants to ask him directly but they’re having such a pleasant time she doesn’t want to spoil it: she can wait a little longer. but it better be a great surprise.

after a few more minutes, and a progressively anxious jonghyun, the dinner plates are cleared and gelato is scooped out. jonghyun’s face crumbles and he nearly begins to cry. 

“you said i could know the surprise after i ate my dinner. why is there more?” the adults smile and jongin reaches over to rub circles into jonghyun’s back. 

“he bud,” he says, “you did a really good job eating your dinner. uncle jinki and i are going to tell you our surprise right now, while we eat dessert. 

"it’s jello-auto. mama says it’s like ice cream.” jonghyun sniffles as he picks up his spoon. 

“so…what’s the surprise?” minho’s eyes are bright with excitement as he mindlessly begins eating his gelato. taeyeon leans forward a bit, intrigued.

“well it’s our anniversary in a few weeks, "jinki starts, looking at jongin while he speaks. "and we’ve always wanted a family,” jongin continues, smiling at jinki. the two turn to minho and taeyeon with matching smiles and taeyeon gasps, covering her mouth with her hand. 

“what is it mama?” jonghyun asks, his spoon halfway to his mouth. taeyeon’s eyes glisten as she tears up and she pats his empty hand. 

“uncle jongin and uncle jinki have very good news sweetie. it’s very exciting and it’s making me so happy that i’m crying.” jonghyun nods in understanding. 

“happy tears.” 

“yeah bud, happy tears.” jonghyun’s face crinkles. 

“what’s the good news?” jongin reaches over and takes jinki’s hand as his husband begins to speak. 

“we’re going to have a baby, just like mama and daddy.” 

“you’re going to have a baby?!” jonghyun asks, ducking his head under the table in an obvious attempt to better see their stomachs. his brow furrows in in confusion as he sits back up. "i don’t see a baby…“ 

"actually jonghyun,” taeyeon starts, “that’s not how it works.” minho & jongin stifle their laughter as jinki continues. 

“neither of us is going to carry the baby like mama does. the baby will grow in someone else’s body and then we’ll take the baby home and take care of it like mama and daddy take care of you.” jonghyun leans in, his gaze serious.

“are you going to make them put their dinosaurs in a box too? mama makes me put them in a box even though i told her they can’t dance in the box.” 

“well,” jongin says chuckling, “we’ll see. either way it’s very exciting. and you’ll get to be a cousin!” jonghyun furrows his brow, glancing at his parents. "no, i’m going to be a brother.“ "ah yes, to gwiboon. but when we get our baby you’ll be their cousin.” 

“but i’m not a cousin. i’m a boy. and i’m going to be a brother.” the adults all stifle their laughter at jonghyun’s response while jonghyun glances about them in confusions.

“don’t worry buddy, you can be all three,” minho laughs as he takes a sip of his wine. "cousins are like brothers and sisters with different mama’s and daddies. it’ll be fun and you’ll be great.“ jinki reaches over and ruffles jonghyun’s hair and jonghyun grins. 

"so when will it happen?” taeyeon asks. 

“soon. you know we’ve been working toward this since we got married. we just wanted to make sure we were financially stable before we did anything. we’ve found a surrogate and in about six months we’ll be bringing home our child.” taeyeon jumps up and runs to her brother, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him close. minho high-fives jinki again before shaking his hand in congratulations. taeyeon does the same to jinki and minho to jongin before she sits back down and the adults continue talking, discussing baby names and nursery colors. jonghyun gets progressively sleepy, fighting it as hard as he can, wanting to stay awake with the adults as long as possible. he sees his uncles quite a bit but it’s still a thrill when he gets to stay up late. but soon enough he has his head resting on the table, snoring softly. his dad stands up to get him but jongin stops him. “practice,” he says and taeyeon smiles as her brother picks jonghyun up and carries him to his room.

she follows, just to watch. he knows enough to take jonghyun to the bathroom before sending him to bed, helping him brush his teeth and use the toilet in his groggy state. then he carries him into his bedroom, pulling the sheets back with one hand before laying him down on his bed, leaving his clothes on but taking off his socks. he tucks him in, placing roo under his arm, kisses his forehead, watching him for a moment before standing and meeting up with his sister in the doorway. she looks at him a moment, her baby brother, and takes his face in her hands, kissing his forehead. 

“you’re going to be a great dad,” she whispers, the sentiment unusually tender and honest between them. he smiles and they head down the hall, his arm around her shoulders and tears threatening to spill from her eyes. minho and jinki are chatting when they get back, the topic changed to sports while their spouses were gone and minho raises his eye brows at taeyeon’s teary face but she just shakes her head as she sits down, slipping her hand in his and resting her head on his shoulder. jongin takes his place next to jinki and there’s a similar silent exchange that ends with jinki’s arm around jongin’s shoulders and jongin’s hand on jinki’s thigh. jinki and minho continue their conversation, casually changing topics to better include taeyeon and jongin. but taeyeon doesn’t join in, choosing instead to listen.

taeyeon is very pregnant, within three months she’ll be holding a little baby in her arms, a daughter she’s already named gwiboon. she has a son, a sweet little boy and a husband whom she loves dearly, who loves her, and who she, most importantly, likes. she is happy and content and she wants to remember this moment, this night, this day. this very ordinary day that ended with a beautiful surprise and she is excited about being an aunt, to finally be the one to enjoy all the benefits of children without any of the responsibilities. And to see her baby brother become a father, to watch these two men she loves become parents of their own child. taeyeon continues to rest against minho’s shoulder, watching the men in her life talking animatedly as they discuss some random topic, her husband’s hand flying through the air and jinki’s free arm a flurry of motion. she breathes deeply, committing this moment to memory, this moment, this scene, all of them as they are now. she exhales, thinking to herself that this was truly one fine day.


	2. epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just taeyeon having thoughts & feelings on her daughter’s birthday

it’s gwiboon’s birthday & taeyeon is pulling the cake out of the refrigerator & placing it on the counter as her daughter chews on some plastic beads in her playpen in the living room.  she pulls down enough bowls & cups for the whole group, grateful that it’s just a family get together and not a full-fledged party like she had for jonghyun a few months back.  it’s too hot and she just can’t imagine balancing being a hostess with keeping an eye on gwiboon, especially now that she’s walking.  

minho and jonghyun are outside kicking a soccer ball back and forth, waiting for jinki, jongin, and the baby to arrive.  jongin had texted that they were on their way twenty minutes ago so they should be arriving any minute now.  there’s iced tea and punch, just enough sugar to give everyone a buzz but not enough that jonghyun will be unmanageable.  

soon the sound of a car pulling into the driveway is heard followed by jonghyun yelling “uncle jinki!  uncle jongin!”.  she smiles as she listens to the doors open and close three times and the muffled voices that get progressively clearer until they’re all crossing the threshold, the screen door slamming behind the last of them.  minho shuts the door quickly.  it is so hot today, not as hot as the day gwiboon was born, the hottest day that year, but it’s still pretty warm and they have the air conditioner running.

“mama look!  taemin is awake!”  taeyeon smiles at the baby who looks confused, turning his head this way and that to get a better view of his new surroundings.  when he catches sight of taeyeon he smiles and kicks his feet, giggling in delight.  she pats jongin on the shoulder & kisses jinki’s cheek before unbuckling the baby from the carrier jinki has just placed on the floor.  she lifts little taemin out and props him on her hip.  

“hey taemin.  hi sweetie.”  he giggles some more and nestles his head into her shoulder, leaning back and clapping his hands.  she puts him down in the playpen with gwiboon and watches the cousins begin to play.  

gwiboon takes taemin’s head in her hands and kisses the top of it, taemin struggling to get out of her grasp the entire time.  then she’s back to chewing on her beads and taemin pulls himself up, making an attempt at walking while gripping the edge of the playpen.

the men are gathered in the kitchen talking and taeyeon asks jonghyun to set the table for the party and he proudly moves the plates and cups from where she left them on the counter to their spots on the table.  

“do you want me to put a plate on gwiboon’s high chair mama?”

“no bud, she’s just going to eat with her hands.” there’s a pause and she knows what he’s going to ask before he even starts.  

“may i eat with my hands mama?”  

“yes sweetie, the cake is a bunch of cupcakes and you eat cupcakes with your hands.”  

“cool.”  she rolls her eyes because it is both adorable and irritating to constantly receive ‘cool’ as an answer to her statements.  at least his vocabulary is growing, she consoles herself, because this definitely wasn’t part of it a year ago.

as she slips her hands around minho’s waist & tells her brother over her husband’s shoulder that it’s time to eat, she thinks back on the last year & how much has changed.  she has a baby now, far from the infant they placed in her arms at the hospital, who toddles around & whose brother thinks she’s the world.  a son whose vocabulary grows larger every day & has begun reading books on his own.  jinki & jongin have a little baby boy, just a few months younger, who’s made them both calmer & more frantic with his soft smile & unlimited energy.  there’s a slightly sadistic part of her that’s excited to see how they manage when he starts walking.  

half an hour later she has a daughter covered in crumbs & frosting & a son trying to sneak a second cupcake.  she laughs as minho pulls him into his lap, his eyes so sad he almost gets that second cupcake.

almost.

the party ends with all the kids asleep & the adults sat around the living room letting the sugar from earlier dissipate.  they talk about everything & nothing, kids & work, the little things that have happened since they saw each other five days ago. taeyeon rests her head on her hand, leaning against the arm of the sofa, her legs tucked up & hopes that jonghyun & gwiboon will have this when they’re older.  she hopes her kids will be friends like she & jongin are, & that they’ll include little taemin in their adventures.  a smile flitters on her lips & she reaches out with her empty hand & taking hold of minho’s.    


End file.
